Listening to music when working out can help you get into the mood and push you as far as possible. Many people turn to their phone for their workout music, but there’s always a risk of dropping an expensive device — and it can be bulky and annoying to carry around when exercising.
Enter the Mighty Vibe. This tiny audio player picks up where the iPod Shuffle left off when it was discontinued, but adds some cool new functionality like compatibility with Spotify Premium and Amazon Music, voiceover playlist navigation and Bluetooth. I decided to test it out to see how well it handled the rigors of my daily workouts.
The Mighty Vibe is an incredibly compact, 1.5- by 1.5-inch audio player that has the ability to store downloaded Spotify and Amazon Music playlists in its 8 GB of memory. It features a small clip on the back and weighs less than an ounce, so you can attach it to your clothing and it will be virtually unnoticeable.
Unlike your phone, it doesn’t have a screen that could potentially distract you from your workouts, and its simple interface can be easily navigated by touch. The vibe is drop and water resistant, and it connects to wireless headphones via Bluetooth. It also features an audio jack to connect wired headphones.
The Mighty Vibe has a five-hour battery life, which should be enough to see even the most avid fitness buffs through two or three good workouts. It only takes about 20 minutes to get a 50% charge, so you can quickly recharge right before your workout if needed.
To use the Mighty Vibe, you need to wirelessly connect it to an Android or iOS device running the associated app. Then, you can transfer Spotify Premium and Amazon Prime playlists to it over Wi-Fi for later, offline playback. When performing the transfer, you can choose from three quality levels, with the lowest one offering the fastest syncing.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind before you buy the Mighty Vibe. Most importantly, you can’t transfer MP3s to it. The only way to get music onto it is by using Spotify Premium and Amazon Music playlists, so you’ll need to have at least one of those accounts to make use of it.
You might notice that the audio crackles and pops a bit when there are impacts, like when dropping it or accidentally bumping it against something, but the audio immediately goes back to its normal quality afterward. Additionally, you’ll want to be very cognizant of turning it off. It’s easy to forget to do this and wind up completely draining the battery without noticing.
The Vibe is available for purchase at Amazon.
This small and durable waterproof MP3 player doesn’t require a Spotify Premium or Amazon Music playlist, and has 8 GB of memory to store all your favorite jams. It clips to your swim goggles mask and is compatible with iTunes files.
Sold by Amazon.
Though it isn’t quite as compact as the Mighty Vibe, the Clip Jam is still quite small and ideal for working out. In addition to being an MP3 player, it features an FM tuner for those times you prefer to listen to the radio. Plus, it boasts an impressive 18-hour battery life.
Sold by Amazon.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Brett Dvoretz writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
